Refining petroleum.



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JOHN C. BLACK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD OIL COMIANY, OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

REFINING- PETROLEUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. ML, 1915.

A Application filed July 27, 1915. Serial No. 42,131. i

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known thatI, JOHN C. BLACK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refining Petroleum, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of refining petroleum and more particularly to that branch of said art in which the petroleum or its distillates is treated with gaseous sulfur dioxid.

The general object of my invention is to produce a refined oil of desirable quality and in increased quantity. This object I attain by an improved process based upon that certain other process Which forms the subject matter of my previous application, Serial Number 481,538, filed March 5, 1909, and allowed February 12, 1915, but the patent for which, at this time, is not issued. Reference is hereby made to said previous process, though in this application I shall. necessarily repeat its provisions with a fullness sufficient to render certain and understandable my present process.

In the accompanying drawing, to which reference is hereby made, an apparatus is shown, more or less diagrammatically, suitable for carrying out my process.

This apparatus I shall first describe, and shall then fully point out my process as carried out therein.

1 is a treating vessel having a discharge pipe 2 from its bottom. Within the vessel is a heating coil 3 in its lower portion, and a gas-distributer 4 in its upper portion. I

1 is a second treating vessel similarto the first vessel.

2 is the discharge pipe from the second treating vessel, 3 is its heating coil and 4 is its gas-distributer.

. 5 is a vessel representing the source from which the material to be treated is derived. I have here marked this vessel with the inscription Crude distillate, by which term, for the sake of example, I shall indicate the material. The crude distillate is taken from this vessel 5 and supplied to the treating vessels 1 and 1 by any suitable means, as, for example, by gravity when the vessel 5 is properly situated, or, as in the present drawing, it is taken by a pump 6, and delivered by a pipe 7,-through a branch From the pressure side of the compressor leads a pipe 15 which is controlled by a leads to a cooler 18. The pipe '17 issuing from the cooler joins a branch pipe 19 controlled by a valve 20 and said branch leads to the gas-distributer 4 in the vessel 1. The pipe 17 also joins a branch pipe 19', controlled by a valve 20?, and said branch leads to the gas-distributer 4 in, the vessel 1.

From the top of the vessel 1 issues a pipe 21 controlled by a valve 22, and from the top of the vessel 1 issues a pipe 21 'controlled by a valve 22. These two pipes 21 y and 21 join a pipe 23 which leads into the pipe 17. The pipe 17 has a valve 24 and said pipe joins a pipe 25 which has a valve 26. The pipe 25 at one end joins a pipe 27, one end of which joins the furnace pipe 12 on the suction side of the compressor 14.

28 is a treating vessel for the bottom layer oil from both main or initial treating vessels 1 and l. The discharge pipe 2 from vessel 1 has a valve 29 and a second valve 30 and said pipe joins a pipe 31 which delivers into the treating vessel 28. The discharge pipe 2' of vessel 1' has a valve 29' and a second valve 30, and said pipe joins the pipe 31 which delivers into the treating vessel 28. The vessel 28 has a heating coil 32 and a discharge pipe 33 which is controlled by a valve 34. The top of the vessel 28 is connected by a pipe 35, which is controlled .by a valve 36 and said pipe 35 joins the pipe 27 which leads to the suction side of the compressor 14:.

37 is a vessel in which the final separation of the sulfur dioxid from the bottom layer oil, received from the vessel 28, takes place. This vessel 37 receives the discharge pipe 33 from the vessel 28, and it has a discharge pipe 38, controlled by a valve 39, and has within it a heating coil 40. The pipe 25 heretofore described, enters at one end the .valve 16 and said pipe joins a pipe 17 which i top of the vessel 37. The discharge pipe 38 of the vessel 37 delivers into the storage vessel 41' which is inscribed Aromatic oil. The two main or initial treating vessels 1 and 1 have a connecting'pipe 42 which joins the discharge pipes of said vessels at points between the valves 2930 and 2930 respectively. This-pipe is controlled at one end by a valve 43 and at the other end by avalve 43, and from said pipe at a point between the two valves issues a pipe 44 which delivers into a vessel 45, having a heating coil 46 and a discharge pipe 47. The

discharge pipe 47 has a valve 48 and delivers into the storage vessel 49 inscribed F inished oil. From the top of the vessel issues a pipe '50 which is controlled by a valve 51, and joins the pipe 17. From the pipe 50 leads a pipe 52 controlled by a valve 53, and said pipe joins the pipe 27. The discharge pipe 33 of the vessel 28 is connected by a pipe 54, controlled by a valve 55, with a pump 56, the discharge pipe 57 of which delivers into the vessel 45.

The process carried out in this apparatus is the following :When the charge of crude material run into the vessel 1 from the source 5, through the pipe 7 and branch 8, is the initial charge, and there is no pressure of gas, connection is made with the generator furnace 11, by which the gaseous sulfur dioxid is forced by the compressor 14, through the pipes 15 and 17, and branch 19 and gas distributer 4 into the charge. This is continued until the charge has absorbed and becomes saturated with gas to the point or condition of precipitation. Assuming now that sufficient gas has been furnished for carrying on the process, barring leakage and final slight absorption in the finished products, the supply from the furnace 11 is shut off by the valve 13 and thereafter said furnace is used only to make good any deficiency subsequently occurring; WVh'en the material in vessel 1 has absorbed suflicient of the gaseous sulfur dioxid to form the desired precipitate or separation into the bottoin layer oil and top layer oil, the bottom layer oil or precipitate is drawn ofi through the discharge pipe 2 and delivered by the pipe 31 into the vessel 28. This precipitate carries the undesirable hydrocarbons, but it also carries with it a certain percentage of good burning oil of like character to the top layer oil separated in the vessel 1.

the pressure of the gas in the vessel 28, thereby reducing the saturation of the oilwith the sulful dioxid, a further separation takes place in said vessel 28, into a precipitate or bottom layer oil which is extremely rich in the undesirable hydrocarbons, and a top oil of good burning quality. This discovery enables me to materially increase the yield of refined oil, because I can mix this good material, and when this charge is complete it is ready to receive the gas. The precipitate or bottom layer oil in vessel 1 is now drawn off into the vessel 28 as above described. The remaining or top layer oil in vessel 1 being now heated by the coil 3 therein, the sulfur dioxid in said vessel passes off through pipes 21, 23, and 17, through the cooler 18, and through the branch 19 and gas-distributer 4 into the charge in the'second treating vessel 1 there to be absorbed by said charge. When all the sulfur dioxidgas is liberated from the top oil in vessel 1 that it is possible to free by heat, said top oil is run-through the pipes 2, 42' and 44'into the vessel 45, there to await the admixture of the good top oil separated in the vesssel 28, by reducing thepressure therein as above described. This reduction in pressure is eifected by the compressor 14 drawing off the gas from the vessel 28, through the pipes 35 and 27, and this gas so drawn off is forced by the compressor through pipes 15 and 17 through the cooler 18, and branch 19 and gas-distributer 4" into the charge in vessel 1.

When the'desired separation takes place in the vessel 28, the precipitate is drawn off through the pipe 33 into the vessel 37. The good top layer oil in vessel 28 is then drawn off from said vessel through the pipes 33, 54,

gas-distributer 4 into the charge in the vessel 1. When all possible gas is driven off by heat, the remaining gas is taken away through the pipes 25 and 27 by the compressor 14 and by said compressor is forced through pipes 15 and .17, cooler 18, branch 19' and gas distributer 4' into the charge in said vessel 1'. The remaining oil in vessel 37 is then run through pipe 38 into the aromatic oil storage vessel 41.

The oil in vessel 45 which is composed of separated oil from vessels 1 and 28 is now heated by the coil 46 and any gas that may still be in solution in the oil willbe driven out through'pipe 50 into the cooler line 17 and thence passed into the charge in vessel 1', and when all thegas possible is thus driven off by heat, the remaining gas is taken away through pipes 50, 52 and 27 by the compressor 14, and by said compressor delivered through pipe 15 and cooler line 17 into the charge in vessel 1. The oil in vessel 45 is now drawn off through pipe 47 into the finished oil storage vessel 49. By this process all the sulfur dioxid is recovered with practically no loss except by leakage and by slight absorption in the finished products, and a maximum yield of refined oil isobtained.

I claim g 1. The improvement in refining petroleum which consists in subjecting it to gaseous sulfur dioxid in sufficient proportion and under sufficient pressure to separate the petroleum into a first bottom layer oil and a first top layer oil; withdrawing the first bottom layer oil and reducing its gas pressure sufficiently to separate said first bottom layer oil into a second bottom layer oil and a second top layer oil; withdrawing the second bottom layer oil and relieving it of its absorbed sulfur dioxid; relieving the first top layer oil and the second top layer oil of their absorbed sulfur dioxid; withdrawing said first and second top layer oils and mixing them together; relieving said mixture of first and second top layer oils of its absorbed Sulfur dioxid; and finally separately withdrawing said second bottom layer oil and said mixture of first and second top layer oils into separate storage vessels.

2. The improvement in refining petroleum which consists in subjecting a first charge of petroleum to gaseous sulfur dioxid in sulficient proportion and under sufficient pressure to separate said charge into a first bottom layer oil and a first top layer oil; withdrawing the first bottom layer oil and reducing its gas pressure sufficiently to separate said first bottom layer oil into a second bottom layer oil and a second top layer oil; withdrawing the second bottom layer oil and relieving it of its absorbed sulfur dioxid in gaseous condition under pressure; relieving the first top layer oil and the second top layer oil of their absorbed sulfur dioxid in gaseous condition under pressure; withdrawing said first and second top layer oils and mixing them together; relieving said mixture of first and second top layer oils of its absorbed sulfur dioxid in gaseous condi tion under pressure; separately withdrawing said second bottom'layer oil and said mixture of first and second top layer oils into separate storage vessels; subjecting a second charge of petroleum to the gaseous sulfur dioxid under pressure as said gas is liberated from the several separated layer oils of the first charge in order to separate said second charge into a first bottom and top layer oils; continuing the process, as previously recited, with respect to said layers; subjecting a third charge of petroleum to theliberated gaseous sulfur dioxid from the several separated layer oils of the second charge, and so forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. BLACK.

Witnesses:

WM. F. BooTH, D. B. RICHARDS. 

